The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1887-12-29

all the world like a red SQUIRRELS; a lit
tie mouth, jest as red as checker-berries
be in the spring, and brown hair curlin'
all over her head.
'"Twas quite a spell before she got
wonted; and all that winter we never
knowed how she got there, for that
snow KEEP on and the wind bowed like
mad, and it drifted oven the road full ten
foot deep; we had to kill all but two pair
Of our fowls before we could get through
to Littleton, for we ct up the hui
barrel O. beef; and we had traded
of a pair of critters for our
winters supply of salt pork, and was
expectin' to drive EN- up there the very
day the snow sot in, and fetch the pork
back. Twas a kind Of a tight squeeze.
Well, there wasn't any use tryin' TO
find out where that baby come from; all
she'd eve say vas Me Paw - Gen.
so we reckoned her name was Pauliny,
and father he said he'd call her
Pauliny Snowed-down, SEEM she hadn't
got no other name; 8 it came about that
it kind Of toned down into Snowden
when she growed up.
Mother she always called her by q
kind Of q Dynamo, Present; for she said
the child vas her New Years present,
SEEM she found her in the kitchen Just
after New Years sot in.
~ said we didn't never know q thing
about her, and 50 we didn't, only what
was guess-work. Next spring when the
snow was nigh about gone and the road
was in a manner passable, q team-'twas
the first one that got through-comin'
in from below, found q sleigh about forty
rod beyond our house with a stun-desd
horse in the thills, and a dead woman
a sittin' OF the seat, friz to death for
certain. She hadn't nothin' over her
but a old camlet cloak with . red plaid
linin', and about ten rod nearer to our
clearin' they see some thing stickin' up
out of a most monsterious big drift, and
10 you! twas a whip, and kind Of clearin'
OF the drift which was good and solid,
it had thew and friz so often, they come
to a coon-skin cap, and then: to q man.
= "We'd figured it out that she'd made
him wrap her shawl round the child and
try for shelter, and when he done 80,
and was a goin' to fetch her, brob'ly lost
his way m got into that there drift and
died there. But there wasn't no airthly
thing to tell where they come from or
where they was goin'; there wasn't
nothing but q bag o. clo'es, which come
real handy for Pauliny. But twas
kinder pitiful to think how they tried to
W that little cretur an died adoln' IL.
As I was sayin' she was smart and
clever and pretty lookin, and growed up
as likely q gal as there was any where;
and by time she was seventeen andI
and set in her face. I used to get tearin'
mad when I see them fellers that drlv
the lumber teams . gettin' out to have
q drink out Of our well; the was good
springs all along, but nothin' could suit
'em but q well, and they wanted
Pauliny to fetch the dipper every time.
"Now, she vas just Al innocent as q
cricket, and never mistrusted how
r'twas; but I could see In the shake Of q
lambs tail what they was . thinkin' Of
She was harnsome, no mistake, a.
straight as Q tulip-tree, and as high-step-
PIN as q deer; she'd got them same,
sweet, bright eyes an red lips, and the
hair wasn't in curls nc more, but had
growed down to her knees, and was Q
wavin' and shinin' like q strip Of 'Sogee
Pond, and when she larfed, them rosy
cheeks Of hers had the cutest little
darlin' holes in 'em you eve see; and
her eyes was just q dancin' too. She
was real spry about the house and just
as handyi She'd FIX up a squirrel pot
pie to kill, and her slapjacks was sur
prism. Inever see such q hand to cook
vitteis before nor since; seemed to como
material to her.
81 KEEP q thinkin' how I could manage
% a. to have . cabin Of my own and
take her along; for / was q cussed fool in
them days, and hadn't no idee but what
women-folks would marry anybody T
asked 'em ; but Just IS I had made up my
mind good to 60 of q lumberin' q spell,
and then take some land up on the
mounting side where there wa q kind
Of q fat place 90 ID you could set .
house there; suddenly It came into my
head that Sam was q shjnin' round Paul
my quite . little. Well, / KEEP my eyes
peeled, and see how he'd fetch her In
little baskets OF birch bark full Of the
biggest checker-berries: md them
punches Of posies out o. the woods; and
thimble- berries, and fox grapes; how
that he would snare birds for her, and
ketch trout before sun-up, and haul In
long strings o. trailin pine. Why, !
hadn't % much - thought OF them little
notions, I wassso sot on her, and 30
sot on myself.
'rWell, ! seesI couldn't cut in that
way. I wasn't 20 goodlookin' as Sam,
but. I was considerable stronger, SO /
done other things;I fetched in wood
when she had her turn todo the bakin';;
/ shook the hickory trees to get her
nuts; and I fetched back 3 bag Of apples
acrost my shoulders from Littleton ~